Stonewall Housing was established in 1983 as the first Housing Association aimed exclusively at meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ people, in response to a growing number of young people experiencing homelessness and insecure housing.
An initiative from within the lesbian and gay movement, Stonewall Housing found enthusiastic support from the Greater London Council’s pioneering Lesbian and Gay Sub-Committee.
The GLC provided initial start-up funding and Stonewall Housing’s first residential project opened in Islington in spring 1986. Stonewall Housing is proud to be a fully Trans and Non-binary inclusive organisation and always aims to understand the different but interconnected needs of all LGBTQ+ communities.
Stonewall Housing remains the only housing association in London wholly dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ people of all ages with a portfolio of supported accommodation for 41 people, advice and advocacy services for anyone living in London who is homeless or at risk of homelessness and specific support for those with severe and enduring mental health diagnoses and those fleeing domestic abuse.
We are fighting to end LGBTQ+ homelessness and ensure that everyone has a safe and secure home. In 2020 Stonewall Housing worked directly with over 1400 people and we estimate that since we were founded we have worked with more than 30,000 LGBTQ+ people.
Vision, Mission and Values
Stonewall Housing is grounded in grass roots activism, anti-discrimination, inclusion and equality. Everything we have done is about making sure LGBTQ+ people are afforded their basic human right to be housed in safe accommodation where they can live authentically and free from fear.
This organisation was founded by a group of LGBTQ+ people who could see the inequalities their community was facing and were determined to do something about it. To this day, a large proportion (although not all) of our staff, trustees and volunteers are LGBTQ+. We must make sure that everything we do continues their legacy, building a better, more inclusive world.
Vision
Our vision is simple: lesbians, gay men, bi, trans and queer people will live in safer homes without fear of discrimination, violence or abuse.
Mission
Our mission is to work to ensure lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people and communities live in safer homes, free from fear and where we can celebrate our identity and support each other to achieve our full potential.
Values
Challenging Discrimination
Legislative advances have given our communities more legal protections yet our communities continue to experience harassment violence and abuse in and around where they live. We will support those who experience this personally and challenge others to fight against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
Listening Actively
Many LGBTQ+ people are expected to make do with how services are offered but we will not make assumptions about who people are or how best to meet their needs, rather we will listen to them, so we can shape the work we do together.
Raising Voices
LGBTQ+ people may have similar and different needs to others. Some may not benefit from having a good home, education, financial security, employment or support network, so we will advocate with people to raise awareness of their own needs and voice our communities' housing, poverty and related health, support and care needs.
Pioneering Approaches
Stonewall Housing was created in 1983 by members of our communities who wanted to offer supported housing for young lesbians and gay men who had to leave their family home. LGBTQ+ people continue to face insecure and unsafe housing but organisations face increased demand with limited and shrinking resources so we will continue to facilitate the pioneering of new solutions that satisfy our communities' aspirations and needs.
Recognising Diversity
We recognise that LGBTQ+ communities are made up of a spectrum of family units and identities, which includes intersex, questioning, queer, asexual and those who prefer not to be labelled, and all from a range of backgrounds with different experiences. So, we will continue to ask who our communities are, which will shape what we do and what we say; challenging discrimination within and outside our communities and improving access to our services for those who share other protected characteristics.
Working Together
We will work with other providers to improve services they offer our communities and develop new ways to meet our communities' needs and aspirations; and collaborate with others to strengthen our organisation and the services we provide.
Delivering Value
We will deliver our high-quality services, making the most cost-effective and efficient use of our resources and the money received from donors, sponsors and funders.
